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Vermont City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Vermont City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 4.7
Number of comments: 303 [displaying comments 71 to 81]
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T. S. from Albany, NY
(6/8/2011)
"Great marathon, iffy choice for a first" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first KBRVM and my first marathon (that I finished, but that's another story). I ended up finishing a lot slower than I anticipated, but it was pretty muggy and I went out a lot faster than I wanted to, which had a lot to do with the fantastic crowds. My impressions, coming from a first timer: The Course The four leaf clover course allows you to pass through the downtown and the throngs of spectators several times, which is great for morale. Two brutal hills (and this is coming from a seasoned Boilermaker veteran). On the downside, the course got pretty tedious at times, especially running through the twists and turns in suburbia. Two very brutal hills, so be sure you train for those. Some parts get pretty cramped, especially running through the downtown portion and along the lake trails. More water stations than you could shake a stick at. Crowd Exceptional! Hardly a spot where you were running with no spectators, and although the crowd on the out and back wasn't great, you doubled back and saw the rest of the field. Nice touch. Expo & Schwag Pretty standard hotel expo, great finisher's medal, crummy shirt. Poorly fitted, low quality material, bad sizing. Hey, you don't do it for the shirt, though. Overall, I'll definitely do this again in the future, but I'll prepare a lot better this time (more hill training). I wouldn't recommend this for a first timer, though, as far as the course is concerned, but its scenic, great crowd support, and a great destination marathon for a long weekend. | |
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B. S. from Mebane, NC
(6/6/2011)
"A great marathon that has it all - and some!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having completed races in 48 of the 50 states, I can say without question that this race is at the top of my list. It has it all, from a beautiful course to the best spectators in the country. There is nothing lacking here. Burlington is a lovely town with great restaurants and a variety of shopping choices. I stayed at the Hilton Burlington which was an ideal location. They have free shuttle service to and from the airport and it is less than a block from the start and finish, not to mention within walking distance of many great places to eat and socialize, eliminating the need for a rental. I was fortunate enough to get a room with a view of Lake Champlain, which was priceless. The expo was very good, much better than those twice the size of this race. Although the weather started out rainy, the skies were clear by mile 5 and remained that way for the rest of the race. It was indeed humid, but being from the south, I was used to it and several homeowners along the course were gracious enough to spray cool water on those who wanted it. The volunteers were plentiful and very kind. I especially appreciate the fact that many wore gloves at the numerous water stations, and the water and gatorade were nice and cool - just what we needed on a such a humid day. Many people complained last year about the difficulty in getting around in the finisher's area and finding their friends and family. However, I had no problem at all finding my mother, who was front and center at the finish line cheering me on, thanks to the great announcer who called my name loud and clear prior to my crossing the finish line. I also very much appreciated all the great nourishment available for everyone upon finishing, especially Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and some great chocolate milk. There is really nothing negative I can say about this race. This was my first time visiting the state of Vermont, but thanks to this race, it will not be my last. I look forward to returning again and again. My warmest appreciation to the race director and fine staff who put together one of the best events in the country. Bravo!! | |
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K. K. from Oklahoma
(6/3/2011)
"Loved it! Nothing to complain about..." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I don't understand many of the negative comments about this race. Clearly, you can't please everyone. I found this to be an excellent race. The expo was good/smooth. The organization on race morning was great. The course was a little challenging, but I think it's wonderful. It was scenic enough to be interesting and the crowd support was surprisingly great! How can anyone complain about going through the church street marketplace twice. That was really cool! And kudos to the race staff for pulling off such a great race this year despite the flooding and above normal heat. My only 2 suggestions for improvement might be more port a potties on course, and perhaps another aid station or two so that there's one every mile after the first 2-3 miles. But really, overall, i was very impressed and enjoyed the race a bunch | |
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A. C. from Puerto Rico
(6/2/2011)
"BEST SPECTATORS ANYWHERE!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 20th marathon. The trip to VT was an ordeal - weather re-routing, no suitcases (means buying new running gear the day before?!), etc. The Vermont City Marathon made up for it all! The crowds were awesome - even though (thanks to poorly fitting clothes/bra/shoes) - I ended up way at the back. Who'd have thought so many folks would be out along the whole course to cheer on runners? Amazing - really sets the race apart, not to mention Burlington. I thought the course was nice with the exception of the out-and-back during the first 8 miles. Pretty, but a long way to be watching front-runners. (Yep, some hills, but that' s running!) The start and finish were well organized. They had food for all (unlike so many that have nada available if you don't finish in 3:30), announced every finisher's name, etc. A GREAT RUN. Do it! | |
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Pete Kurtz from Ohio
(6/2/2011)
"Fantastic Small City Marathon" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed this race, and my non-running spectator wife did also. It has all the ingredients of a big-city marathon: pre-race email updates, large and generous expo, pacers, huge post-race party (with massages). The course was near-perfect: it took in the city, waterfront, neighborhoods, and looped through downtown several times so friends and family could cheer on. As usual, the volunteers were awesome, but the spectators here were really great. Lots of families and kids out, offering both sustenance and encouragement. The race organizers also did a great job of adjusting to pesky weather conditions, including re-routing the lakeside route where it was flooded. Lots of free food at the finish, including plentiful Ben and Jerry's! My only complaints were minor: narrow chute between finish line and reunion area that became bottlenecked. Also, too many relay runners who created some difficult running traffic for us full-marathoners. Should the relay teams be more limited in the future? All in all, one of my favorite marathons. Nice going, beautiful Burlington! | |
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M. B. from Maine
(5/31/2011)
"Kudos to race organizers" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Vermont City Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I want to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the race organizers for pulling off a terrific race under very tough (for VT) weather conditions. With temps near 80 and humidity in the 90's, race conditions were difficult given our cool spring training conditions. The race organizers did a great job before the race with outreach to runners, during the race with extra aid stations, having up-to-the-minute condition alerts at each aid station, and spreading extra medical staff throughout the course. Kudos to the hearty spectators that offered hoses, water, and snacks throughout the course too. And topping off the difficult weather conditions, race organizers and the City of Burlington had to deal with record flooding of Lake Champlain which borders several miles of the course. The course was in great shape. In my humble opinion, all the organizers did a superb job of adapting to very difficult conditions. Thank you! | |
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R. C. from Mandeville, Louisiana, United States
(5/30/2011)
"Best Crowd Support I've Ever Seen" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 14th marathon. I've never seen such great crowd support. They whole dang town came out. Lakeside Neighborhood sticks out in my mind. Everyone came outside and gave out drinks, fruit and anything else you wanted. They cheered, played drums, and would spray you with water if you wanted. Great job Lakeside!!! The course was pretty good. The big hill around mile 16 is not for the light hearted. I made it all the way up but my spirit was a little shot afterwards. I kind of liked the fact that you come back through the starting line three times. That's nice for the families to see their runners over and over. On the negative side, the course narrowed too much in some places making it dangerous. We also had to run through mud at times. The organization was pretty good. We had plenty of water but I was a little surprised the first couple of water stations were pretty spaced out. Medic Stations were plentiful and I saw helpers on bikes a lot. One the negative side, there were nowhere near enough port-o-potties on the course and I didn't even have to go. This is the first race I've seen where people just started going on the side of the road. They had no choice! The first toilets I saw was at mile 6 and of course the line was 10 people long. The expo was well put together. One of better ones for a medium sized race. I stayed at the Sheraton. There were good and bad things about it. They have shuttles to and from the airport and the race so you don't have to get a rental. They said breakfast was at 6:30 which isn't bad for a race starting at 8 am but then the morning of the race they said breakfast wasn't until 7 am. They let you buy bagels and other breakfast stuff from the souvenir shop. I would stay there again but will make other breakfast arrangements. Overall I would recommend this marathon mostly for its crowd support. | |
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C. N. from Brooklyn, Ny
(5/29/2011)
"Nice experience again" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Vermont City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As usual I am posting the first review from site 21 at North Beach Campground. After more than a year of mostly trail ultras I returned to Vermont with my wife for her first marathon. I think the weather was the worst in the years I've been running this with rain, 100% humidity and high temperatures. The organization however was brilliant with plenty aid stations, medical support and of course enthusiastic volunteers. My time was the slowest in history due to weather, lack of specific training, pacing my wife and carrying supplies. She however had the time of her life, finished strong despite what I think was inadequate training and I hope she will want to return next year with a time goal. Overall a great experience. Strongly recommend! | |
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Mick Whitehead from Seattle, WA
(2/5/2011)
"Awesome Support, Fantastic Location" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my destination marathon for 2010. Good expo before the race. I attended a few of the seminars - one on race nutrition and one by Gary Cohen - which I felt were very worthwhile. Beautiful setting for the race and the weather (2010) was fine. I did not think the course itself was tough, until it became a real struggle for me over the last five miles, which resulted in my disapointing time. That may have been more me than the course, however. The local crowd support was AWESOME, especially the pull up Battery Street. I enjoy running through downtown streets and this race offered that as well as more open spaces. Love the area and the setting. Race photography was very limited so make sure your "support crew" has a camera if you want a photo. Great presentation of splits, comparisons, and overall results after the race was over. Solid shirt. | |
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P. S. from Atlanta, GA
(11/2/2010)
"Very good race, but tough course" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Vermont City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 8th marathon and I picked it because I have family in Vermont. The race was not nearly as scenic as they say; you only see the lake on a few short occasions and the mountains a few times too - otherwise you are running 24+ miles through neighborhoods. You could have been anywhere. It was hillier than anticipated too, even though the course profile did show some hills. On the plus side, the spectators were great, and the small race made it easy to get to and leave from. I was hoping to qualify for Boston but did not - just a bad day, partly due to the hills and the heat. If you want a race just to "do," this could be it, as the fans were great and it was a good course for people to watch you. If you are looking for a PR or Boston qualifier, go elsewhere. |
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